SC notice to Advani, Joshi over Babri Masjid demolition

New Delhi, March 31:The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani and M.M. Joshi on a petition challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict discharging them of criminal conspiracy in the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.

Besides the two, union Minister Uma Bharti and Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh also have been issued notice. The Allahabad High Court on May 20, 2010, absolved them of the conspiracy charges in the 22 years old case.

An apex court bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice Arun Mishra issued notice as senior counsel Kapil Sibal told the court that a fresh application has been moved by Haji Mahboob Ahmed challenging the high court verdict.

The apex court also gave the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) four weeks to get the papers to support its case challenging the discharge of Advani and others.

Additional Solicitor General N.K. Kaul told the apex court that the CBI had filed an affidavit explaining the delay in filing the petition challenging the high court ruling.

Allowing four weeks time, the court said it would be hearing the matter on the question of law, delay and merits.

The CBI moved the apex court on February 18, 2011, nearly nine months after the Allahabad High Court verdict.

The CBI said in its appeal before the apex court that the high court ruling discharging Advani and others of the offence of criminal conspiracy “is inconsistent with the previous judgment rendered by the Allahabad High Court on February 12, 2001”.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had held that the trial court committed no illegality in taking “cognizance of joint consolidated chargesheet” and “all the offences were committed in the course of the same transaction to accomplish the conspiracy”.

The high court had noted that the “evidence for all the offences was almost the same”.